


Remember Me (though I have to travel far)

by XiXalty



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, MINOR Allurance, Mutual Pining, Only very little, Reincarnation AU, Soulmate AU, University AU, ill add tags as i go along, klance, no angst bc i can't write that
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:07:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25703317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XiXalty/pseuds/XiXalty
Summary: Keith remembers. He always does. Now that they've found each other, he has to find a way to make Lance remember too.But how?Lance meets someone, someone so familiar, someone he feels he should remember, someone he won't forget.But who?The universe works in weird ways, doesn't it?
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 48





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, this is my first fic huhuuu
> 
> I appreciate constructive criticism!!

Do you believe in fate?

How about soulmates?

If you asked Keith, you’d think he’d say 'no'. Keith, all stoic and serious and cold. But when you actually ask him, his eyes would grow soft, and with a sincere smile, he would say:

_Yes._

\-----------------------

Keith trudges up the steps, wearing little but a scarf. He didn’t realise the autumns in Altea are colder than his hometown, after just moving here to start university. Cheeks pink and the tip of his nose frosty, he walks into his first class of the day: literature.

If you asked him, he would say this was one of his favourite subjects. No. This *is* his favourite subject. Over his many lifetimes, he has written many (love) letters, read lots, and lots of books. Hell, he vaguely remembers writing one. A few lifetimes ago, he thinks, he was buddies with Shakespeare. Keith would proudly tell you that he and his lover were the inspiration of Romeo and Juliet, the classic red and blue couple. Except that they never had a tragic ending such as theirs; Shakespeare liked to be super dramatic, with all of his deaths and tragedies.

_My lover,_ he thinks sadly. Keith sighed. He’d never been good with patience, and Lance always teased him about it, always saying cheesy things. His reply would always be the same:

_I’d wait an eternity for you._

They didn’t really have a label for their special bond, Keith liked to think they were soulmates, bound by fate, destined to meet over and over and over again, and fall in love every time. He thought it was a little strange, to be in a situation like this, but then again, his soulmate is the kindest, most beautiful person ever. Keith doesn’t really believe in a higher power, but he thanked them anyway.

He picked a seat near the middle and watched absently as the other students began to shuffle into the heated classroom as he reminisced. This was not the longest he’d had to endure. He remembers the last lifetime: before he had to fight in an intergalactic war, he was all alone in his shack in the desert, just waiting for him to show up. He thought fate was giving him signs, so he followed. When they finally met, they got off on the wrong foot, and he’d somehow pissed him off, just as they embarked on a treacherous journey into space.

Boy, that was real torture for Keith. Every day on that space ship, with his soulmate so close, they were barely even friends. Keith wasn’t one who gave up easily; after the war had ended, he had decided to _finally_ profess his literally undying love to him. To his astonishment, Lance had said the same thing back, though he hadn’t remembered their extensive history together just yet. It turns out they had been pining over each other for the whole time they were in space!

Just as the lecturer enters the class, a boy walks into the classroom. A boy, who’s hair was perfectly ruffled by the autumn breeze; a boy, whose clothes were adorably disheveled; a boy with a face Keith is sure will never forget,

It’s him.

It’s Lance.

He’s _here!_

Keith has to resist jumping out of his seat. He almost didn’t make it, his legs were . Unfortunately, over their many shared lifetimes, Lance often seems to forget about their special bond. Keith hopes, no wishes, that this is not one of those times.

Blue eyes quickly scan over the hall, eyeing the few remaining seats left. Their eyes met, and Keith had tried his best to conceal the desperation in his eyes. _Please, Lance. There’s an empty seat right next to me!_ Keith thought in his mind. To his dismay, however, Lance cozied himself up next to the dean’s daughter. Allura sat in the front row, in all her grace and beauty, with her hair coiled up into a loose bun. Lance shot her one of his blinding smiles, and she gave a warm smile back. Keith, on the other hand, grimaced and felt his heart turn to ice. This situation could turn catastrophic if Keith didn’t intervene.

This whole interaction lasted all of five minutes, and now Keith was left staring dumbly at the back of his head as Lance started chatting with Allura.

Keith leaned back in his seat, arms crossed. He trusts Lance. He knows Lance would always choose him in the end, but this still stung.

His gaze dropped down to the table. He had to think of a way to get Lance to notice him, and quick. He tuned out the professors lecturing. It was just an introductory speech, nothing important. His eyes flicked up to where Lance was talking to Allura. She started giggling, her shoulders shaking slightly. He frowned, going back to staring intensely at the table.

The next time he looked up was when he heard everyone getting up to leave. He wildly looked around, trying to catch a glimpse of brown hair, but to no avail.

_…He left?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> do do do,  
> do you want me to,  
> spend some time sitting next to you
> 
> \- a song by Dansu


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> lmao lance has friends dw

Keith closed his eyes and sighed as he shut the door to his dorm, leaning his head against it. He felt so lost, he really didn't know what to do. The last few times, Lance had always noticed him and approached him first. Now, though, it was different. He went to someone else, someone who wasn’t meant for him... right? What was he going to do?

With another defeated sigh, he opened his eyes and pushed off the door. His room was barren, the only signs of life were the two shoddy cardboard boxes shoved up against the bed. The room wasn’t too small, not that Keith needed much space to live anyway. Resigned, he flopped face-first onto the bed. His backpack slammed uncomfortably on his back, undrunk water sloshing around in its bottle. Keith stubbornly ignored it for all of 10 seconds before feeling a stray pen poking awkwardly into his spine. Sighing for what could be the billionth time today, he shrugged it off his back and quickly dozed off.

————————————————

_Today was a great first day,_ Lance thought. He was ecstatic to know at least a few people in his new university; he had Pidge and Hunk, though they were in different years. What truly made his day was, of course, talking to Allura. _The_ Allura Alfor! Lance sighed in happiness as these thoughts flitted through his mind while arranging all the stuff he’d brought into his dorm from home.

In all this jumble of excitement, there was something that really stuck out to him. There was a weird, sad feeling wiggling in the back of his mind the whole day. No matter how hard he thought, how far back he retraced his steps, all that could come to his mind was this moment:

Today, while he was searching for a seat, he met a strangely familiar pair of grey eyes. A look so intense, so full of emotion, so overwhelming.

_Huh, that’s weird. I’ve never met anyone with grey eyes…?_

_Then why were they so familiar?_ his mind supplied, unhelpfully.

"Ding!", his phone chimed. Immediately, he lunged for his phone. He remembered giving Allura his number earlier today, just before they’d parted outside the Lit hall.

**_[ 6:25 pm ]_ **

**_Pidgeon_ **

_yo dood let’s go get sm to eat_

_im starvingggggggg_

**_Hunk-burger_ **

_You guys could come over to my dorm!_

_I can whip up some pasta for you guys._

Okay… Lance wasn’t disappointed. Nope. Not at all.

**_Lancey_ **

_hunk, buddy,,_

_it’s literally the first day of uni!_

_I think we should go out instead_

**_Pidgeon_ **

_i second that_

**_Lancey_ **

_lmao i forgot you second years have an actual kitchen ur dorms_

_luckyyyy_

**_Hunk-burger_ **

_Oh I know just the place!_

_You can come over and use it whenever :)_

_Meet in front in 15?_

**_Pidgeon_ **

_yas bitches_

**_Lancey_ **

_see uuu_

Chucking his phone on his bed, Lance started rifling through a box labeled "CLOTHES". He settled for his favourite pair of ripped skinny jeans and one of his hoodies from the pile on the floor. Stuffing his feet into his shoes, he made sure to grab his keys on the hook by the door. Just as he put his foot out the door, he started hurriedly patting his pockets for his phone. _Shit!_ He left it on the bed! _That was a close call,_ he thought as he tried not to step on his things on the ground. After turning a full 360, feeling satisfied he got everything, he closed the door number 181.

————————————————

_Blue eyes._

_A promise._

Keith awoke with a jerk. _Where am I?_ It took a second for his eyes to focus on the darkness of the dorm, and _oh right I’m in uni._ And then it comes back to him. Lance. Allura. Lance and Allura. He growled in frustration, scratching at his sweaty hair. It was chilly outside, but he didn't open the window when he came back. Mentally cursing himself, he reached for his phone. Momentarily blinded by the light, he read the time: _7:34. Shit! I was asleep for almost three hours!_ He jumped out of bed and rushed into the shower, hoping he’d be done in time to miss the rush hour.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> do do do  
> do you wonder why  
> is there more than meets,  
> is there more than meets the eye?
> 
> \- a song by Dansu
> 
> uuuh i got one (1) comment and that inspired me to work faster than ever!!! THANK U, U KNOW WHO U ARE!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i like chicken rice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> look at me,, so motivated to write... i hope my writing is getting better huhuhu. idh a beta reader cuz im too embarrassed to ask my friends but i think i'm managing okay

To say the shops were crowded was a drastic understatement. Keith had never _ever_ seen a crowd this huge. He was drowning, being sloshed around by the onslaught of people in the massive shopping district. There was at least an elbow or a shoulder in contact with him at any given time, and in the five minutes he's been here, Keith thinks he'd been touched more than he had been in his entire life.

_Geez, why’d I come here again?_

"Right, needed some dinner," he muttered to himself.

The heat was insufferable, even in the chilly autumn night. The body heat of everyone around seemed to outweigh the cold, making it even warmer.

His ride outfit wasn’t helping either; his jacket stuck to his skin, and his leather pants melded to his legs. At least he’d tied up his hair into a low ponytail before coming, though the loose strands were sticking to the back of his neck.

All the restaurants had people spilling out into the streets, having to set up extra seating for the massive crowd. There seemed to be about every type of restaurant; South American, Korean, Moroccan… even some weird green goo was being sold at a wooden stand. Keith spotted one without a queue and made a beeline for it.

Two characters: 鸡饭, in bright red neon lights (not that Keith could read it anyway) next to an animated neon sign of a chicken opening and closing its beak.

_S’alright. I like Chinese._

He ordered the first thing on the picture menu, which he later learned was chicken rice. The guy quickly chopped up the steamed chicken thigh with the biggest butcher knife Keith had ever seen, then laid it all on rice in a container. Next, he poured soup that was boiling in a pot (Keith thinks he could fit inside it) into a plastic bag and tied it with practiced efficiency.

All of this was done in three minutes, and soon Keith found himself with a package in his hand, and a different hand waiting expectantly in front of him. _Right, he had to pay._ Quickly, he fished for his ten bucks in his back pocket and handed it over. He didn’t even bother to count the change, stuffed the bills into his pocket, and hightailed out of there.

Now, Keith would say his sense of direction was superb, and he’d never get lost. But tonight, he’d been so distracted by the crowd, and all the thoughts running through his head, he didn’t pay attention to where he had gone. And where he was going apparently.

Just as he was wracking his brain trying to remember which restaurant he’d passed, someone crashed into him, full-bodied. Keith was falling backward, eyes squeezed shut, food bag clutched as tightly as possible, and braced for impact…

Which never came.

Tentatively he opened his eyes. In front of him was a boy in ripped skinny jeans and a red hoodie that said 'Fire Lord' on the front. Looking up even further he met eyes as deep and blue as the sea. But suddenly they turned troubled; the sea was rough, choppy, churning around in all different directions. They bore into his own, and both of them were too stunned to speak.

_What was the universe trying to do to them?_

Suddenly, their bubble was popped. Everything crashed in; the noise, the lights, the heat. Keith noticed their position: one hand gripping his forearm, and another on his hip, holding him against Lance’s chest. He was bent backward while Lance was bending over forwards over him.

Eyes blown wide in shock, Keith flushed as red as Lance’s hoodie.

That seemed to snap Lance out of it too, he quickly righted himself, and by extension, Keith as well. His eyes darted around, looking anywhere but his face, clearly nervous, but he still hadn’t let go, still holding him close. He was babbling, but Keith couldn’t keep up with its rapid pace.

"…and I’m so sorry and was talking to Hunk and Iwasn’tlookingwhereIwasgoin-"

His lips were moving so fast, not that Keith was staring though.

"Yo Loser! You still haven’t let him go yet!" someone shouted from behind him.

Lance’s eyes widened as he noticed exactly where his hands were and hastily retracted his them and looked away with a bright flush high on his cheeks.

_Cute,_ Keith thought, with a small smile.

"Hey, don’t you go to Altea U too?" a different voice said.

Keith turned, trying to identify the source of the sound in the cacophony of noise.

There were two people standing side by side, height difference almost comical. The large guy, who had an orange headband, was looking at him expectantly, while the other person had their eyes trained behind him, probably on Lance.

"Yeah, I do. I’m in my first year," he replied.

"Oh my gosh! You’re in the same year as Lance then," He said after a gasp. Not really new information to Keith.

At the sound of his name, Lance seemed to be pulled out of his thoughts, again.

"Yeah… he’s in my Lit class," he supplied, weakly.

_Wait, he remembers me? He remembers me!_ Keith’s mind whooped in happiness. He tried his best not to let it show on his face.

All too soon, Lance started walking, moving past Keith, and was striding away from him. Keith was left staring at the back of his hoodie, and a wave of hysteria washed over him.

"Wait!’ he cried.

Three pairs of eyes turned to look at him.

_Shit. Why did I do that?_

"Uhh… I’m kinda lost, and this is my first time here," he scraped for recovery. It wasn’t a lie, and he was lost, even if he couldn’t admit it to himself. But he’d throw away his dignity for a few more minutes with Lance any day.

"Hunk knows this place like the back of his hand, this should only be a pinch," the small one said.

"Yeah, just come with us. What’s your name again?" the big guy, presumably Hunk, said.

"Keith," he said loudly, over the noise, as he started towards them.

"Great, I’m Hunk, this is Lance and this is Pidge," he pointed to the shorter one.

Keith wondered if they were all nicknames or if they were actually their real names, but he didn’t voice it.

He’d parked his bike earlier in the massive car park, but in the bike parking near the entrance, but he just told them "the car park". Hunk seemed to know how to get there, so he settled with following behind them. He fell into step with Lance, who seemed to be deep in thought, staring at the back of Hunk’s shoes.

"Hey," Keith said in a feeble attempt to start a conversation.

"Do I… Have we met before?" Lance’s head suddenly snapped up to look at Keith.

_What do I say to that?_

Keith focused his gaze on Lance's, thinking about his response.

Hunk not-so-suddenly stopped walking, and Keith almost crashed into another person for the second time that night.

"Here we are!" he said cheerily.

Keith made to move towards where he thinks he parked his bike but turned around when he realised they were following him.

"Um…" he said, not knowing how to react.

"Chill dude, we aren’t gonna murder you. We just wanna know you got to your car safe," Pidge smirked, talking to him for the third time that night.

Keith shrugged and continued walking. After scanning the lot, his bright red bike caught his eye very quickly, and he started marching towards it.

Just a few feet before his bike, he abruptly stopped, took a deep, steadying breath, and turned around. He knows everyone is looking at him confused, but he only had eyes for one. Walking up to Lance, he stood very close to him and looked him in the eye.

"To answer your question," he said whispered, full of meaning, "yes."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hehehehe 鸡饭 means chicken rice, and i eat a lot of it. it's delicious!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> òwó i wonder what happens
> 
> lmao what is happening to me it's only been 3 days and i've written four chapters am I insane???

Lance went through the rest of the night in a daze, yet again. Pidge had been teasing him relentlessly about "how he was reliving the most embarrassing moment of his life" in his head, but soon stopped after realising she wouldn’t be getting any reaction from him. Lance would merely stare at her with his unfocused eyes, mind somewhere else completely.

Needless to say, this continued for the rest of the week.

At night, he got weird dreams. Not weird in the freaky sense, but he kept seeing images of places he’d never been before, flashes of things he’d never seen. They all had one thing in common though:

A pair of grey eyes.

Then, he’d wake up in the morning with a feeling of longing, a want so deep, it seemed to be etched into his bones, running in his blood. Only there’s a huge problem: he doesn’t know what he’s missing. There was once he woke up crying, a name on the tip of his tongue. After the fog of sleep cleared from his mind, he found he couldn’t for the life of him remember a single detail.

Nothing.

Just a profound sense of desperation and a burning ache, coupled with a sense of helplessness.

During the day, he couldn’t stop thinking about what Keith had said, before straddling his striking red bike (he filed that information away for later), and zooming off into the night.

_He said "yes" right?_

_Yes as in 'yes, they’ve met before'?_

_Where?_

_When??_

_How?????_

_And why did his eyes look so damn familiar?_

By the time Monday rolled around, he still couldn’t solve this proclaimed mystery. Walking into the literature hall, he sat down in his seat at the front. He was so lost in thought, he didn't hear Allura greeting him, or saying his name. He just stared blankly at the desk. It wasn’t until she waved her hand in front of his face he managed to snap out of it.

"I’ve been calling your name for the past five minutes, Lance," she said, without heat.

"Sorry, Allura. I’ve just been thinking about stuff," he replied, sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"It’s alright. I’m just wondering who you were hoping to get as your partner for the project? I don’t really know many people here, and I was thinking we could do it together?" she trailed off shyly at the end of her sentence.

_This was it, this was his chance!_

_But for some reason, it felt wrong…_

"Of course, Allura. It would be a sin to reject an offer from a princess such as yourself," Lance teased, though something in the back of his head began to niggle uncomfortably.

Allura let out a giggle just as the professor walked into the class. Following right behind him was a boy clad in all black except for his flaming red jacket. Lance’s attention was yanked away from Allura and once again, and blue met grey. Time seemed to stop, the world vanished, and it was just the two of them.

_I know it’s cheesy, but that’s really what it felt like,_ Lance would say later as he recounted the tale.

And then, time started ticking again. Lance stared after him as he took his seat smack in the middle of the lecture hall. He felt Allura tug on his arm as the professor started to explain the project in more detail. He only managed to start listening much later, but _it was all not that important anyway_ , he thought.

"…not be choosing your own partners. I will be choosing them for you," he finished with what Lance perceived as a malicious leer.

He turned to face Allura, and they both shared a nervous smile.

"I wonder what system Mr. Iverson is going to use to assign us," Allura whispered conspiringly.

Lance could only nervously chuckle in response.

Before he assigned them partners, however, he continued to introduce the project, leaving all the students fidgeting in anticipation and dread. They had to read and analyse a famous book written in the last century, discuss it with their partners, and ultimately do a presentation in front of the whole class or write a thousand-word essay.

"Your pick," he said with a conceited smile.

To save (more like prevent) them from skipping out on class, Iverson had prepared a copy of the book for every student, which was no easy feat. _Man, what is with this guy? Is he insane or what?_

After what felt like forever (it wasn’t, and they still had an hour and fifty minutes to go), Iverson started rattling off the names of the pairs and everyone sat with bated breath. Lance could hear the other students sighing, whooping and the occasional slam of a fist on the table, but he paid them no mind.

Soon Lance squeezed his eyes shut and began to think:

_Please, please, please!_

He crossed his fingers under the table.

_Please put me with Allura!_

"Lance McClain…" Iverson grunted.

He snapped his eyes wide open and drew in a deep breath.

"… and Keith Kogane."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and so it begins
> 
> lol niggle is a word i googled it shush


	5. Chapter 5

"Lance McClain… and Keith Kogane."

Keith couldn’t believe his luck! He looked up and really observes the professor for the first time, and silently thanked him and the universe (mostly the universe). He immediately started brainstorming ideas on how to get Lance to like him, and which were most likely to work out best.

He was confident he had an arsenal of good moves to pull off.

* * *

Lance couldn’t believe his luck! He couldn’t have a worse partner. He was forced to work with the guy he’d knocked over, who was the same guy who he’d been thinking about for an embarrassing amount of time.

I mean, _the guy is hot as hell, I’ll give you that_. Especially when he got on and straddled his striking red bike and zoomed off into the night.

_He looked sexier than any biker babe than I’ve ever seen in my life, and he was fully clothed!_

That night, before he was _just_ about to go asleep, that image of Keith popped (more like zoomed) into his mind, and he’d flushed as red as his bike in the darkness of his room.

And at this very moment, as he was sitting in the seat in the front of the hall, the thought rushed into his head again. He buried his head in the sleeves of his hoodie, trying to hide the bright flush he can _feel_ creeping up his neck.

To any outsider, he looked like he was devastated by having Keith as his partner. Unfortunately, "outsiders" included Keith as well, and as he was watching this scene unfold in front of him, he felt his stomach drop.

In his mind, he couldn’t help but think Lance was upset.

_Did he not want me as his partner?_

_Did he want to be partnered with Allura instead?_

_Does he think I'm going to slack?_

_Does he not like me already?_

_Does he hate me…!?_

At the last thought, he almost choked on air. God, what had he done? He was running through every single interaction they’ve had since school started six days ago, every single look he’d given Lance.

_Maybe I looked at him wrong, and he thinks I don't like him? Like on the first day, when I tried to get him to sit with me? Or was it when I bumped into him? But he didn’t seem so upset at first… maybe he was raging inside? Oh my god, was it the stupid answer I’d given him before I left? Maybe it was because I didn’t even say goodbye. Maybe it was because I didn’t even thank them for helping m-_

His bullet-train of thought was derailed as Lance’s face appeared right in front of his own. _Too close, too close!_ Keith recoiled back, hitting the back of the seat with a loud _thud_ , and grimaced out of both embarrassment and pain. Lance just peered at him suspiciously and made shooing motions with his hand. Keith took the hint and scooted his over. Lance took the seat to his right.

"I got us both copies of the book, and this one’s for you," Lance offered.

"Thanks, Lance," Keith said looking him in his eyes and giving him a small smile.

_Okay, at least he’s not mad at me. I think._

Lance gave him a small smile back and pivoted in his seat to pull out his laptop from his bag, presumably to start the document as quickly as possible to finish this project. In his haste to do so, he missed Keith’s reaction.

* * *

Keith glanced down at the cover in the book and froze.

The book was a shade of azure blue, with red and black accents artistically decorating the cover, and gold leaf letters spelling out words he never expected to see printed. Or ever again really.

_Forgotten and Remembered._

He tries to steady his hands (and his breath) as he traces the swirling designs on the paper covering the hardcover of the book.

Truly, Keith remembers writing this, maybe around two or three lifetimes ago. It was the only time he’d written a real book. He kind of remembers the words and some phrases he had used, but what will never leave his mind was how he felt when he was writing it. Full of happiness, gushing with love. And it was no question what the book was about, it was for-

Lance was shaking his shoulder with increasing intensity, and suddenly Keith was snapped out of his reminiscing his past. By then, Lance had already created a Google Docs and had the email-sharing window open, and was glaring at him with open annoyance.

"For the billionth time today, Keith, what is your email? _"_ Lance gritted out.

"W-what?" Keith stuttered out in confusion. Looking up, he felt his world spin on its axis, literally and metaphorically.

"Ughhhh!" Lance pulled at his hair, shaking his head, _slightly curly bangs fanning across his forehead perfectly- wait no we’re getting off track here_ , Keith thinks. "Give. Me. _Your. Email."_ Lance ground out through _pearly white teeth._

Several heads turned to look at the commotion, but there was not enough to have the professor look over, _thank God._

"Y-yeah, sorry," Keith said, sheepishly, before reciting the email address the university had given him. His eyes went back to the cover of the book, and he was staring at it like… well, it looked like it was the most precious thing to him, but also like there was something that was breaking his heart from the inside.

This time, however, the look on his face did not go unnoticed by Lance.

"Hey man, you look like you’re trying to take a shit," he joked, trying to lighten the mood that had unknowingly turned solemn. He stared at Keith, a look of concern painted on his face. Concern that stemmed from places deep within his soul, but Lance didn’t know that. _Yet_.

"What’s wrong?" He tried again, soft and not judgemental.

Keith sensed his tone and debated opening up. _I mean, how much should I say?_

"It’s just- this book brings up so many memories," _Memories of my past lives, of our past lives. Memories of us…_ So many things went unsaid in his minimal reply, and suddenly he felt like he had aged, and he was so very ancient.

"So… I’m guessing this means you’ve read it?" Lance said, trying to pull him away from his misery.

"Yeah I-" he almost said _wrote it_ , but managed to catch himself just in time, "have." he finished in a whisper.

"Okay," Lance blew out some air. "How about this? We don't start anything today, give me a little time to read the book. We’ll meet up in a few days and we start then?" Lance suggested. _I must look really miserable,_ Keith thinks. _Lance has always been empathetic, I guess. Always knew how to deal with my stupid moods._

He acknowledges him with a jerky nod of his head, still not looking up. It was all he could muster with the disaster swirling in his head. If he looked up, Lance would have seen a swarming supernova, spinning, and curling in every direction, lights ablaze with all sorts of complex emotions.

"Can I have your number then?" Lance asks, with a hint of… was that nervousness?

At this, Keith finally looks up, smirking at his tone, causing Lance to flush even further. Wordlessly, he puts out his hand, and Lance all but slaps his phone into his hand. Looking once at the black screen, Keith tries to bite down his smile. Trying to look unimpressed, Keith raises his eyebrows, glancing to the phone and back at Lance.

_Where is this confidence coming from?_ Keith thought inwardly.

_Oh well, fake or not, might as well roll with it._

It must have worked, because one second ago Lance was looking back at him cluelessly, and then he immediately flushed even more. Keith decided to hammer the nail further into the coffin.

"It’s locked."

His reaction was instantaneous. Lance’s eyes widened almost comically, and he lunged for the phone, still in Keith’s outstretched hand, which had not moved an inch. They’re only less than a metre apart, so Lance had dramatically overshot

There was a bit of a scuffle. He must have underestimated the strength of his legs because he quite literally crashed into Keith. Keith’s hand now gripped the phone tight as to not let it fall to its demise. That same hand had collided with the center of Lance’s chest. Lance’s outstretched hands scrambled for purchase, his left coming around Keith’s shoulder, his other slamming down on the desk, hard. Pain, similar to an electric shock shot down his forearm.

" _Fuck!"_ He whisper-swore.

Realising his mistake, he slowly raised his head to peek at the professor. Keith thought he looked akin to a deer about to be run over.

The professor glanced up at them, made a sound that he thought was a disappointed grunt, and went back to… whatever he was doing.

They both turned to look at each other, grins slowly forming on their faces. They shared silent giggles, and then the realisation dawned on them.

Lance had one leg over Keith’s right leg, with his left hand slung across Keith’s shoulder, right hand resting on the table, after recovering from hitting his funny bone. He was leaning heavily on Keith, almost fully sitting on his lap. Keith was leaning on his hand behind him, body angled backward to balance their weight. His hand, still clutching the phone, was sandwiched between their bodies.

Unsure of what to do next without making it any more awkward than it already was, Lance tried to _casually_ slide off Keith’s lap. Nothing got stuck, and there was no more pain, so he counted it as a win. They managed to successfully register Keith’s contact number into his phone, and then Lance decided to actually start reading the book.

* * *

Even after a few minutes, Lance found himself unable to focus on anything beyond the cover. His gaze flicked up and to the left, trying to catch a glimpse of Keith.

Okay, in the end, the 'glimpse' had turned into a full-on stare. Keith was looking ahead, but his mind clearly elsewhere, looking into middle space, eyebrows slightly furrowed.

_I wonder what he’s thinking about._

_Maybe it has something to do with the book?_

_He looked really troubled when he saw it… unpleasant memories maybe?_

_I’ll have to ask him about it next time..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lmao this was so messy i wrote half of it a week ago and left it to stew.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the library hm

Three days.

_Seventy-two_ hours _._

_The only thing Lance could think about for the last three days is Keith._

_Keith and his sometimes-grey-but-sometimes-violet eyes._

_Keith and his outlandish, prehistoric hairstyle._

_Keith and his jawline that could probably cut stone._

It was like his mind was trying to think of him and ONLY him.

Yep.

Lance was fucked.

He was just thinking about how there isn’t yet a named shade of purple to describe his eyes when those exact pair of eyes appeared right in front of him.

_Damn, the yellow library light makes them really glow._

_Wait-_

Barely muffling a yelp, he pushes off the desk and loses balance on the hind legs of his chair. Screwing his eyes shut, he braced himself for his inevitable crash onto the musty carpeted floor…which never came.

Peeking his eyes open tentatively, he was greeted with the sight of one of Keith’s _lean, muscled_ arms securely gripping the back of the flimsy wooden chair, preventing him from getting a concussion. A looking further up, and Lance almost fainted. Keith’s face was mere inches away from his, having leaned forward to catch him (well, the chair _and_ him), and his intense gaze was almost too much for him, yet it somehow felt grounding, and reassuring.

Lance felt safe.

_What the fuck,_ his mind supplied, and another, high pitched noise similar to a whine escaped him, and he _felt_ the heat traveling from his face to everywhere else. He _knows_ his face is _red_ red. He looks away, looking for something that _isn’t Keith,_ but it is proving quite difficult since Keith kind of has him encircled in his arms, so he took a shaky, shallow breath, and looked at the side of his face.

Keith situated himself on Lance’s right, and his left hand was still bracing the back of the chair,

"T-thanks, Keith," God help him, he sounded like a frog. He awkwardly patted his… shoulder or something with his left hand, just to _say something._ Keith took the hint, and gently but firmly let the chair’s front legs touch the ground. Lance felt his hand linger, hovering over his back, but it seemed like he decided against it and let his hand drop to his side.

He stood to full height, and Lance’s eyes followed the movement. _Damn, he looks good from this angle,_ Lance thought. _Then again, he looks great from every angle…_ he shook his head slightly, trying to clear his head.

Keith had taken the seat across from him, setting his backpack on the empty chair next to him. Lance took this moment to compose himself, he ran a hand through his hair, for good measure. Eyeing his abandoned homework and textbooks splayed out in front of him, Keith glanced back up with an eyebrow quirked.

"Got distracted," He didn’t even need to voice his question for Lance to understand that inquisitive stare.

Then, Keith did the unimaginable: he let out a self-satisfied grin. A shit-eating grin, like he knew he was _exactly_ what Lance had been thinking about.

"Have you finished the book?" Keith asked before Lance could dwell on it further.

_Oh yeah, the book. Totally forgot about it, since I spent all my time thinking about you, dumbass. How could I possibly remember anything else?_

"No, I haven’t," Lance smiled sheepishly, left hand coming up to rub at his nape.

At this, Keith let out a smaller, gentler smile.

"That’s alright. Do you…," he faltered for a second, looking down to his right, "…do you want to read it together? Now?" he asked, smiling shyly.

Lance was at loss. He hadn’t yet read the book, nor had he contributed to the project, but here Keith was being all shy and sweet. Lance could _feel_ his crush expand exponentially.

"Yeah, that would be great," he answered, a little breathlessly.

He reached into his backpack to fish out the book, which was still at the same place he left it: crammed between his books and his geometry set.

The next time he looked up, Keith already had the book laid out in front of him.

Lance gasped. It was _full_ of notes! Stickies notes and scribbles in the margins, papers peeking out of the pages, wedged in there. There were even sketches of scenery, buildings, and was that a portrait of a guy?!

He felt ugly, toxic jealousy building up in him. _Who is he?_ Keith looked up surprised, and apparently, Lance had said that out loud. Oops. Keith panicked, freezing up.

"Um-" his eyes darted around, blinking rapidly. He took a deep breath, "It’s a portrait of my brother." He finally said, eyes coming to rest on Lance’s face.

"Oh. Okay," It was just his brother. Does Keith have a brother? Lance’s whole body relaxed. Reaching across the table, he asked, "Can I see?"

Keith all but screamed "NO!" His hands flew so fast it was a blur, and the book was clutched in his hands against his chest. He looked around nervously and saw many pairs of eyes looking at him.

"Sorry!" he mouthed, looking apologetic, hoping everyone would have gotten the message.

"I-It’s just that… I’m not so confident about it. Maybe I’ll show it to you someday?" He smiled a small, bashful smile, and Lance was suddenly struck with the feeling that he had to protect something precious.

"Yeah. I’m looking forward to it," Lance replied, dazed and unfiltered.

Keith pressed his lips together, trying his very best not to laugh. When covered his mouth with his fingers, Lance realised what had just come out of his mouth. His eyes went wide, and his face - for the second time in the hour - went red, as red as the apple he had for breakfast. He plunged his gaze back to the table, trying to open the book, trying to pry open his laptop, do _something_ with his hands.

They spent some time going over the first few chapters, and Lance tried to ask Keith as many questions as possible, since he knew more about the book, and not because he liked hearing him speak. Totally.

Truth be told, Keith wasn’t the type of person to talk very much, or at all. So Lance tried to savor the moments when he was. He seemed really passionate about this book.

_He really likes this book,_ Lance thought. _I wonder what else he likes…_

The next time Lance looked away from Keith or the book, he realised it was dark outside. _Shit, what time is it?_

"It’s almost seven," replied Keith.

_Oops, he must have said it out loud. Again._

_"_ Hehe… do you wanna go get some dinner then?" Lance rubbed the back of his neck, trying to recover from his slip up.

"So like, a date?" Lance felt his whole face grow warm.

There was a beat of silence. And then:

"I mean, you don't have to! It doesn’t have to be a date! Just like, between friends, you know? Even if ithinkyou’rereallycoolandI’dtotally-" words tumbled out of his mouth, Lance almost shouted with his hands flailing.

Keith cut him off mid-rant. He smirked and said, "It’s a date then."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for disappearing i kinda lost motivation and i don't even know if it's that good anymore 
> 
> but now i feel a little more inspired so HENLO IM BACK


	7. things are moving forward

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol sorry for disappearing hh

They ended up eating in a hole in the wall restaurant that Lance loved. It reminded him of home; It was perpetually noisy, there was always someone laughing, and the food was amazing. Not as good as his Mama’s, but it’s the closest he’ll ever get.

He greeted the staff by name, and spoke to the chef in fluent Spanish, ordering without even looking at the menu. They were lucky to score a secluded booth near the back, with exposed bulbs hanging from the ceiling. They cast a warm glow over Keith’s face, and Lance really couldn’t help but stare at him.

He was beautiful, his dark hair cascading around his neck, absorbing all the light that touches it. The stark contrast made his skin _glow_. The light reflected off his eyes, making them look like a rich purple, swirling, and twirling.

_Wow, he was really gone for this boy._

Oh god, he was staring; Lance quickly looked anywhere but the boy across him. If Keith noticed, he didn’t say anything. So Lance decided to stop being a creep and actually start talking. Yeah, like to get to know him and stuff.

"So Keith," Lance started talking, "have you ever been in love?" _wadafak_ _just came out of my mouth??!!_ Immediately regretting ever opening his mouth, he clamped his mouth shut with a loud clack. Lance was panicking inside. He couldn’t retract his question or play it off because he had spoken so _LOUDLY_ like the boisterous person he is.

Keith previously had his head in his palms, elbows propped up on the table. Now his hands had dropped and his spine was straight. He seemed to be thinking over his answer.

"Yeah, yes, I have," Keith said sincerely after a terse silence - well, Lance was fidgeting nervously while Keith was the exact opposite. "How about I tell you next time?"Looking into his eyes, his gaze was gentle, with no traces of anger. Lance felt all his nerves dissipate.

The food came, and it was as delicious as he thought it would be. He closed his eyes as he took the first bite, and sighed in delight as he tasted the familiar burst of flavors. When he opened his eyes, he saw Keith jerkily turn his head to the right, but Lance was too blissed out to linger on that thought.

* * *

"This is my favorite restaurant, you know? It reminds me of home." Lance said into the silence of the night. It was the second week of autumn, and the air was beginning to nip at their skin. Lance, with his belly full of warm happiness, did not feel a thing. He stretched his arms above his head, stiff from sitting hunched during dinner and the time in the library.

"Yeah, it was really delicious," Keith replied after a thoughtful hum, thinking back to the food equivalent of liquid gold that slid down his throat and into his belly. "Ten out of ten would eat there again."

The food was great and their prices affordable. The only drawback though, was that it was almost a half-hour walk back to the dorms. Lance didn’t mind, didn’t mind at all, because he had Keith walking right next to him.

"Sorry that we had to walk really far out," Lance apologized, rubbing his neck. He looked over to Keith to gauge his reaction.

"It’s okay," Keith said, looking back at him. "I don’t really mind, as long as I’m with you." He finished with a sweet smile.

Lance stumbled on the weed-ridden sidewalk. Keith’s smile was like an arrow through his heart, and Lance was swooning on his feet. _I want to see this boy’s smile like this every. single. day_ he vowed to himself. _I’ll get there, someday._

* * *

"You know, next time, we can just take my bike," Keith offered as they approached the dorm compound. "I mean- if there is a next time…?" He looked at Lance shyly through his bangs.

"Of course! I really like your company, man," He nudged him softly with his shoulders. They continued walking in semi-companionable silence. There was still one more question weighing on Lance’s mind.

He stared thoughtfully at his feet, thumping softly on the concrete.

This was his last chance: they were standing under the veranda of the dormitory building. Keith was making a move to swipe his key card on the receiver. _Now or never._

"Um…" Lance started, thinking over his next words. Honestly, he shouldn’t have started talking without knowing what to say, but okay, _I can do this._

"In the library, you know when you said um-" he cut himself off when Keith stopped moving to pay attention to him. Averting his eyes, he pushed himself on, "when you said that this was a date," _Almost there!_ "Did… did you mean it?"

He braved a glance up to see Keith’s reaction, and, well, fortune favors the brave, right?

Keith’s cheeks had a light dusting of pink on them, and his lips were parted in a cute little 'o'. He blinked a few times before giving his final verdict.

"I- yeah, um, I mean, yeah," he stuttered out.

"W- really?!" Lance’s mind wheeled back around. He was kind of (not at all) prepared for rejection. He was celebrating on the inside, and on the outside as well.

"Yeah, Lance," He huffed out a breathy laugh. Then he did something that would turn Lance’s life completely upside down:

In a few small steps, Keith closed the gap between them. Almost chest to chest, Keith stood up on his toes and gave Lance a peck on his cheek.

"Thanks for today, Lance," he said walking backward. "I’ll see you tomorrow. Text me later, 'kay?" The soft beep of the card reader and the whoosh of the door were not enough to snap Lance out of his trance. The sharp click of the door closing, however, did.

Reaching into his back pocket, he fished out his wallet, ~~slamming~~ tapping the whole thing against the reader. As he strolled through the grand double doors, he brought his fingers to lightly feel over where Keith…

Even the mere thought of him made Lance want to whoop with joy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ayiiii

**Author's Note:**

> soooo,, funny story: I haven't actually watched Voltron......
> 
> I'm just writing based off what I've read before, and I've read lots HAHA
> 
> Jokes aside, THANK U SM FOR READINGGG
> 
> comments motivate me :)


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